The advantage of being part of the Jillaroos coaching staff in the lead-up to the World Cup last year helped Titans NRLW coach Karyn Murphy land three of the game’s rising stars for 2023.
Gold Coast announced the signature of playmaker Taliah Fuimaono on Tuesday just days after confirming World Cup-winning teammates Jaime Chapman and Shaylee Bent had also signed on.
Chapman and Bent had been living on the Gold Coast for the past two years but had played with rival clubs previously while Fuimaono will shift north from the Dragons on a three-year deal.
The Titans struggled in the halves last season with Fuimaono’s signature set to see Lauren Brown move back to hooker in 2023.
Brown was one of four alongside Evania Pelite, Shannon Mato and Jess Elliston who re-signed with the Titans last week, a move that had Murphy more satisfied given the quartet would’ve fielded interest elsewhere.
“We didn’t have our best season in the five games last year and the pleasing part has been that the girls who were at the club want to stay and build on that,” Murphy told NRL.com.
“On the other side of that are the players we’ve picked up, especially after the World Cup and with expansion in the competition, I’m sure a few clubs would’ve wanted some of our girls.
"I’m old school but I never want to lose sight of loyalty and one thing I’m big on is we want to be strong with our pathways and academies just as much if we hit the market and we want to re-sign players long-term."
Murphy said the luring of Chapman and Bent ‘home’ to the Gold Coast was a priority while she was impressed by Fuimaono after she bolted into Brad Donald’s World Cup squad last year.
“It’s no secret with injuries in the halves last year that it was an area we identified we needed to strengthen,” she said.
“With Lauren Brown potentially moving back to nine we saw 'Fui' as someone who could lead in the halves. She’s definitely the right fit for us and we see her as a long-term player at our club.
“Chappo and Shaylee have also played together at the highest level and have been in our backyard on the Gold Coast the last couple of seasons so to get them is massive for our club.
“We can either bring girls back to the Gold Coast or keep them here and that’s so important.”